Sorry for the fumble, here is the correct chapters, I will do a mass update of 6 chapters for compensation.
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"This... honored shinobi... this is all the money left in our village." A few trembling villagers stepped forward. Nara Kazuki glanced at them, then looked down at the corpses at his feet.
"No need, no need. I'm a Konoha shinobi. I'm sorry I came too late and let you suffer." Kazuki offered a gentle smile.
He'd seen the pitifully small wad of money in their hands—barely worth mentioning. He really didn't need it. That editor girl had sent him more than enough to squander for a long time.
Still, even after hearing his words, the villagers remained hesitant until Kazuki put on a stern expression. Only then did they retreat in fear and reverence.
"Tch. This world." Kazuki glanced at the rice paddies just outside the village. These villagers had clearly cultivated plenty, yet could barely scrape together any money. It was absurd...
Holding the identifying token and the spoils he'd looted from the enemy shinobi, Kazuki prepared to leave.
But before departing, he dealt with the bodies. A simple Great Fireball Technique turned them to charcoal, which he buried in the soil. Next year, the crops would likely flourish here.
"Shame one jōnin got away." Kazuki clicked his tongue. He'd expected the jōnin to fight him to the end—but the bastard fled.
Carrying the loot, he made his way back toward Konoha, sorting through the spoils as he walked.
Konoha's rules were simple: anything a shinobi collected after a battle was theirs to keep—unless it was significant intel or tied to a specific village-issued mission. In that case, it had to be handed over.
But this one didn't qualify. Everything here belonged to Kazuki.
"Money, ninja tools, soldier pills... and... Icha Icha Paradise?" His expression twisted oddly as he stared at the book. Never expected these guys to be fans of Jiraiya—and his own work. Did that mean he'd just slaughtered a fellow fan?
Well, even if he'd known, he'd still have killed them. A fan of Icha Icha wasn't enough to stand in his way of growing stronger.
"Some personal items... even a few ninjutsu scrolls?" Kazuki's gaze grew more subtle as he leafed through them. But after a glance, he set them aside—basic techniques, nothing worth noting.
Not surprising. Most rogue shinobi lived like this. In the shinobi world, knowledge was hoarded—reserved for clans and villages.
He flipped through the pile, mostly junk. The most valuable stuff was probably on the jōnin who escaped. Jōnin had been through more battles and were more likely to carry rare items—but that one had slipped away.
"Oh? What's this?" Kazuki noticed a folded piece of paper tucked inside a coin pouch—one he'd pulled off a missing-nin.
Unfolding it, he found a crude map, marked with sparse symbols and strange patterns.
"...Power to change the world... the Gelel Stone?" Kazuki murmured, reading the scrawled writing. Curious, he tucked the map away.
The Gelel Stone, huh? Sounded interesting. "Power to change the world"... again?
"Sigh... what the hell is with this world lately? Constantly being changed, constantly on the brink of destruction." He shook his head. People used to say things like "destroying a country" to describe catastrophe. Now, everything was "destroy the world."
Back in his previous life, he used to be a foot soldier in World of Warcraft, saving Azeroth over and over. It had been exciting at first—heroic, even—but after a while, it felt like a joke. No sane man spent his free time saving the world repeatedly. That was the hobby of a masochist.
Eventually, he'd quit for good.
"But the Gelel Stone... feels like I've heard of it somewhere." Kazuki scratched his head. It was familiar—he couldn't place it, but it tugged at memory.
"Whatever. I'll keep it for now. Maybe there's real treasure tied to it." He slipped the paper into his pouch, though he didn't expect much. If it were some legendary artifact, surely he'd remember it. If not—it probably wasn't worth much.
Still, checking it out wouldn't hurt. Could be a fun distraction.
Kazuki returned to Konoha and handed over the enemy ID tags to Namikaze Minato. The map, he kept for himself.
"Well done. How was the mission?" Minato looked pleased. He knew the mission wasn't easy—the enemy duo had worked well together. They weren't quite jōnin-level yet, but given time, they might've become tokubetsu jōnin.
Too bad they defected.
"Not bad. But one jōnin escaped. He was good with Hidden Mist Technique and Silent Killing. I suspect he's from Kirigakure." Kazuki reported calmly. That runaway jōnin had top-tier escape skills.
Rogue ninja were always like that. If nothing else, they were experts at running. Those who couldn't flee—were dead.
"Silent Killing? Probably from Kirigakure's assassination squads. I've heard there's unrest over there." Minato frowned slightly, then waved it off. One rogue jōnin wasn't worth obsessing over. Better to focus on Kazuki's jōnin promotion.
He rummaged through his desk and pulled out a file.
"Take a look." He handed it over. Kazuki flipped it open.
It was a unique mission.
Infiltrate the Land of Water. Gather intel on a Kirigakure shinobi with the Byakugan. Assist our undercover agent in exfiltration.
Kazuki's brow twitched. Was becoming a jōnin always this annoying? He remembered his mission with Yakushi Kabuto. Now who the hell was the new spy?
"This my next mission?" he asked Minato, already regretting not reincarnating a little earlier. If he had, maybe he could've become a jōnin on the battlefield, no need for these long, miserable covert ops.
And the Land of Water...
He really didn't want to go. Couldn't quite recall when Obito was revealed to be manipulating the Mizukage. Naruto's timeline was messy. But going there now might mean walking into trouble.
As for the Byakugan user—he remembered the guy's name was Ao or something. Ally of Terumī Mei. Because of his Byakugan, Ao detected the chakra anomaly in the Mizukage's brain—crucial to breaking the genjutsu. Definitely one of Mei's key subordinates.
"Yep. But this mission isn't all about brute force. That's all I can say." Minato smiled. Kazuki understood.
This one tested intel-gathering, infiltration. Not power. That had already been evaluated in the previous mission.
If only he had Face-Stealing Technique... He remembered Orochimaru's jutsu, perfect for infiltration. Orochimaru had once disguised himself as the Kazekage and infiltrated Konoha.
"All right, got it." Kazuki accepted. If he'd known jōnin promotion was such a pain...
He'd still aim for it.
The perks were too good—access to elite jutsu exchanges, even forbidden jutsu with enough merit points. Totally worth it.
Leaving the Hokage's office, Kazuki yawned. Three days' rest before heading out.
"Guess I'll..." He paused, then chose to upgrade his Sensory Amplification.
The first option boosted speed while tracking. But Kazuki needed range. If trouble came, he wanted to know instantly.
He itched to test it—but he was still in the center of the village. Not a great idea. Using large-scale sensory techniques here might trigger defense systems, raise suspicion, expose his abilities.
So he headed to a training ground outside the village.
"Let's give this a try. Triple effect." He formed hand seals. Chakra surged. A gust of wind swept out in all directions. Kazuki closed his eyes to feel.
"Range expanded... three to four times... then—" He turned his head. Two shinobi were racing toward him.
"Kazuki! Just now..." Kakashi and Gai burst from the woods. Kakashi's eyes narrowed, curious. He'd sensed something weird—clearly a sensory technique—and rushed over. Seeing Kazuki alone, he relaxed.
"I was testing a new jutsu," Kazuki grinned. Kakashi nodded. That sounded about right. Kazuki had a habit of creating weird techniques.
"Kazuki! Let us sweat the sweat of youth together!" Gai gave a thumbs-up. Kazuki chuckled—he didn't mind sparring. Besides...
He grabbed them both, sprinting farther away from the village. Kakashi didn't resist. He knew Kazuki wasn't the type to go rogue.
"I want to test this jutsu's maximum range," Kazuki explained. Kakashi got the message and stopped with Gai while Kazuki ran on alone.
Twenty minutes later, Kazuki stopped. This time, he used ten times the chakra and activated the technique again. Eyes closed, he focused.
Longer distance meant longer time. That was natural. This wasn't light-speed or sound-speed—it had limits.
"...There it is..." After thirty seconds, he sensed Kakashi and Gai's chakra. His range was expanding...
After several tests, he was finally satisfied—and dragged the others off for barbecue.
"How'd the mission go?" Kakashi asked between bites.
"Pretty smooth. One jōnin escaped. But those two chūnin—solid teamwork." Kazuki nodded. The encounter had been eye-opening. Even nobodies could be troublesome with the right coordination.
Kakashi nodded back, just as Kazuki turned toward him.
"Hey Kakashi... can I learn Chidori?" Kazuki's eyes gleamed. He'd just remembered his Rasengan.